Transient art doesn’t require expensive supplies or a prolonged clean up – it’s art made from nature, and it isn’t made to last.
It’s always a treat for me to meet Daisy from school. I was lucky enough to enjoy one of those moments last week: Daisy rushed out to hug me and then pressed a small acorn and acorn cup into my hand.
As we walked along the road away from school, she told me that she’d found the acorn in the school playground. We talked about the tree that the acorn had fallen from, how the acorn fitted into the cup shape and even talked about which animals enjoy eating acorns.
It’s not unusual for Daisy to find interesting objects in the playground or, indeed, in any outdoor environment. She has found shells, smooth pebbles, chalk, feathers, twigs, seed heads, conkers and their capsules, pine cones, stones, colourful leaves, petals and occasionally a button, a coin/token…
Each item is shared, taken home and displayed on top of her bookshelves.
From the garden to the beach
Aside from the conversations that the items trigger, Daisy uses her ‘found’ items as a resource for her creative inspirations.
I’ve watched Daisy stand at her shelf, taking time to manipulate the various items that she has collected. She moves them into different shapes and groups pieces into clusters. She spaces others apart, stacks some, she layers and overlaps others, creating her very personal 3D art piece.
This is a creative art activity where the possibilities are endless. There is no expectation of creating a ‘finished’ piece. In Early Years this is known as Transient Art.
Transient Art has no set process or task in its creation. As the name suggests, the creations don’t last for long and they cost nothing. You don’t have to stock up on supplies and there’s usually no glue or paint to clean up afterwards.
Transient art is another creative experience that allows a child to find and select the materials that they want to use and how to apply them.
Daisy’s transient art is seasonal and ongoing, blending and merging her finds from the woods with those from the garden and the beach. But this can also be a one-off activity, enjoyed on a day out, on a walk or after a picnic.
Exploring the environment
Transient art can take place outdoors and indoors. It’s an activity that children of differing ages can enjoy, exploring the environment and finding objects that interest them and finding ways to display them. Autumn in particular is a season where nature delivers plenty of found objects that can be ‘investigated’, manipulated and positioned.
Some children enjoy positioning their pieces within a ‘frame’ created from a selection of twigs or on the top of a sawn log. On a picnic, the pieces could be displayed on paper plates.
Transient art delights the senses. Yesterday, I sat on a beach wall sipping a hot drink and gazing at the shingle on the beach.
I wondered which pebbles might attract Daisy’s attention, knowing on any beach, Daisy would be squatting down, looking closely at the pebbles and deciding which ones she wanted to handle.
I picked a couple of pebbles up, manipulating them, exploring their smooth shapes and random patterned surfaces.
And I put them in my pocket to take home: my transient art.
Granny Smith says…
Don’t forget to pack some hand wipes or sanitiser if you’re planning an outdoor transient art session.
Granny Smith's Diary 